Police arrest 2 Arkansas men after they reportedly got drunk and shot each other while wearing bullet-proof vests

Authorities arrested Charles Eugene Ferris and Christopher Hicks on Monday in connection with aggravated assault.

According to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Ferris and Hicks each took turns shooting one another while wearing a bulletproof vest.

Wait. This story gets better, right?

Oh yes, it does.

The arrest came after Ferris, 50, visited a local hospital on Sunday night for an angry red spot on his chest, and complained about chest pain.

A Benton County sheriff's deputy spoke to Ferris, who reportedly told the deputy that he'd taken six bullets while trying to protect the "asset." The "asset" in this case was 36-year-old Hicks, and, according to Ferris, the tale was a wild one.

Ferris told authorities that he received a $200 payment to protect this "asset," a man whom he'd followed into a nearby state park. Ferris explained that while watching the "asset," a third man approached and a gunfight ensued. Ferris added that he'd been hit six times in his efforts to protect the "asset," which he'd valiantly secured, and transported back to his home.

Except when Ferris' wife showed up at the hospital, she told the deputy that the story about "protecting the asset" was entirely fabricated, and revealed that her husband and Hicks got drunk and took turns shooting one another while wearing the bulletproof vest.

According to Ferris' wife, the two men shot each other in the chest and back, respectively, with a .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle. None of the bullets penetrated the vest, according to the Democrat-Gazette.

What else?

Ferris ultimately ended up confessing that he'd only made up the story about the "asset" to protect Hicks, and admitted that he and Hicks took turns shooting one another with the gun.

Authorities arrested Ferris after his hospital treatment, and arrested Hicks while at home. Both the vest and the rifle were seized.

Prosecutors haven't filed a formal charge against Ferris or Hicks, and the men are scheduled for a May 13 arraignment.